5 garden tips for the week starting June 17

Battling whiteflies

Continue an aggressive defense against those nasty giant whiteflies, the tiny white moth-like creatures that produce a thick mat of sticky white “hairs” on the underside of leaves of many plants, as their larval nymphs suck out plant juices. Leaves die and fall off, and plants become weaker and weaker. Control with strong water sprays on the undersides of leaves, every other day or so for one or two weeks, or until they give up and leave.

Daylily care

Daylily beauty can be prolonged by feeding with a complete fertilizer, first in spring then between now and midsummer, and irrigate with ample water. After the flowers fade away, new plantlets will develop on the stalks. In autumn remove the barely-rooted plantlets and put them in the ground for even more flowers next year. And if you don’t want more plants, remove the stalks after they finish flowering.

More mulch

Mulching makes a huge difference around landscape plants and in vegetable gardens. It holds water so the soil has a more uniform moisture level. It permits better availability of soil nutrients. It reduces weed germination, and helps to keep plant diseases from spreading. It looks good, too. However, it must be kept at a depth of about 3 inches or more and needs to be replenished at least once a year. Any mulch that does not contain redwood is ideal for roses and most other plants. Redwood mulches are best for pathways.

In the tall grass

Set your lawn mower blades to cut at 3 inches high. With longer blades of grass, the lawn will use less water and will be less likely to burn or die back in patches. Also, the longer blades will help keep out weeds.

Next step, guacamole

Now is a good time to plant an avocado tree. Make sure the soil is loose and well-drained. Irrigate immediately after planting, then let the soil dry out a bit before watering again. Overwatering drowns the roots and kills young trees. With proper care, your new tree will settle in and grow — and it may begin bearing avocados within two or three years.